The Commodities Exchange: When Did Babysitting Hit A Premium?

Being a work at home mom, I occasionally have need of babysitting services. Especially like this upcoming weekend, my husband will be out of town and won’t be here with the children. I have to attend a Toastmaster’s Officer’s training session that will last the better part of Saturday. I’ll be away from my little ones for about six hours, and ever since my four year old tried to shave with daddy’s razor that time, I figure I’d better not leave him there, alone. OK, I’m kidding. The other kids could watch him, but still.

Nah, I think I’d better get a babysitter.

[Image Source: My Personal Photos]

So, I started making my calls to my tried and true sitters, only to discover that their social lives are busier than mine. They’re all:

a)at the beach,
b) at the lake, or
c) at some body of water in a skimpy swimsuit and do not want to come back here to babysit my brood.

Oh well. I continued to look.

While I was at the gym this morning working out, I noticed a sign on the wall advertising babysitting services! Yay! And, to make it even better, she was the owner’s daughter, so I can say I kind of “know” them, so all should be well. The thing is is that although she is an official “babysitter” you know with the American Red Cross training and all, but her rate was $8 an hour. $8 an hour??!! What…

She’s 14 years old, she doesn’t drive, she’s only 3 years older than my oldest child and she’s 14 years old. Wait, oh I said that already. Anyway, it just seems to me that $8 an hour is a bit steep for a 14 year old, who doesn’t drive and has NO bills.

I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like just yesterday I was babysitting in high school, in high demand and commanding $5 an hour myself. And at 18 years old, (ok, I know that was a long time ago) I was pretty glad to get it, let me tell ya. But now-a-days (my age showing again, huh?) kids are working and asking for a whole lot more than what we used to get.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that babysitting is no longer just a time-passer for teens these days. It’s a business for them. It’s how they shop at The Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch and do the movies and pizza scene on the weekends. But the rates are what I attribute to good old mom and dad.

See I figure these parents are encouraging their kids to charge these exorbitant amounts of money because THEY KNOW THEY CAN. With babysitter’s being so scarce and at a premium, moms (and sometimes dads) know that if you’ll pay that, their child can actually do pretty good working for you. And at 14, you can’t convince me that the girl has enough business sense to even ask for that kind of money. Did I mention that the babysitter’s only 14?

Babysitting is a premium gig, if you ask me. I’ve actually thought about it a time or two, but decided against it since I only like my own kids. But as a business, it’s wow. At 14, a young girl with a babysitting business charging those rates can do pret-ty good for herself. I’m amazed because from what I understand, she does get business and people are paying that rate. When my daughter comes of age to babysit, I actually thought about having her start off at a modest $5 per hour. But after seeing what the market will bear, heck, I think if she charged a cool $10, she could buy her clothes from Abercrombie & Fitch, The Gap and throw in a little Ann Taylor for mom. Yep, that should work.

So needless to say, I’m back to searching for a babysitter for this weekend. I just hope I can find one for a reasonable rate, or, at least one that can drive to my house if the rate is going to be that high. Geez! I mean, come on. Pay you $8, and come to your house to pick you up? Get real!

In the meantime, maybe I’ll get Kyle his own razor so he won’t bother dad’s and my other kids can just supervise him. Think that’ll work? Probably not, huh? Well, if you know of any good, cheap babysitter’s, do send them my way. I’m willing to pay $5 bucks, provide a well-stocked junk food pantry complete with Cokes, potato chips and s’mores and three absolutely beautiful children who are just a joy to babysit…

OK, I’ll pay them $6 bucks, just get somebody here, alright?

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How much do you pay for your sitter’s? Does it depend on the area of the country or does it average about the same everywhere?

Would you pay $8 for a sitter? Did I mention that she was only 14?

Check out this interview of a daycare owner over at Home Biz Notes. Think she could help me out this weekend?
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